An Irvine Valley College student was the victim of a cyberattack in which someone made it look like he threatened to shoot up the school, authorities said.
Early Tuesday morning, Irvine Valley College received a threat of a shooting that supposedly would happen on Monday morning, Feb. 10.
In the email, the “student” named the person he threatened to shoot first. The person turned out to be a professor at the college.
Shortly after, college officials sent a campus-wide message regarding the threats. Faculty were also given the option to move in-person classes online.
Campus police, along with the Irvine Police Department, investigated the threats and determined that the student who allegedly sent the message was actually the victim of a cyberattack, IPD Sergeant Karie Davies said. Crimes like these are known as “swattings,” she explained, where a hoax call or message is made in an attempt to send armed officers to a person’s address.
College spokesperson Diane Oaks confirmed that the student was not suspected of intentionally threatening the school, and the incident would be investigated as a cyberattack.
“There is no indication of any physical threat,” a statement from the college said. “All campus operations are continuing as scheduled. IVC’s IT and Campus Police teams are actively working with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to assess the situation, mitigate risks, and strengthen our cyber defenses.”
No arrests have been made, Sgt. Davies said.